#(that he loves her and for that she would zero her if he didn’t aid her in overthrowing his father? it’s a time to be them!)

[thedeadthree]

ok ok listen…….. what if i made a oc verse set in m*etriod.. like a clown or two set in the verse ✨👁🥀❣️

#for the audience of me hehe but they’re the clowns of my heart at the moment along with t*lou clowns and the asoiaf dears hehe #i mean ive had this storyline in my mind since i was like.. a kid and playing the remaster of p*rime it brought back all those memories? ✨😭 #they were some of my first ocs too ! and returning to them again with fresh eyes im like.. a little emotional u know? #likely will yell more on ye olde oc blog but wanted to hear the besties thoughts on it if i were to talk about it? #(though i may transition them to an original verse instead but for now ! that’s where they’ll be hehe 🖤) #but ! yea ! for setting its like.. g*ot in space skzjjzjx and the empire is the liege lords of the space pirates hehe #they were brought up by the c*hozo and ofc they disappear and this gave the current empress an in to overthrow the old emperor #(and dad of one of the antagonist/deuteragonists !) #so that’s a little bit of it ! #leg.txt #*personal #i am thinking as well of like a sort of a*nastasia sort of plot where a princess (and the daughter of the new empress) loses her memory ? #her love interest is the son of the old emperor and the current right hand of the new empress (its actually what she’s using against him ?) #(that he loves her and for that she would zero her if he didn’t aid her in overthrowing his father? it’s a time to be them!) #he was also brought up and raised by the same c*hozo who raised s*amus so they’re childhood friends ! #basically he can’t stand her now bc he isn’t aware of her memory being gone and thinks she’s her hostage sksjzjjx #a bit of a misunderstanding going on! in later things he joins the team but! and he also has a brother as well! #and there’s a director of r&d who’s a bit of a snob and an master of intelligence who join the team too later!

[informalcrybaby]

Travis Kelce x Reader (Always You)

You had known Travis Kelce your entire life. You grew up in the same neighborhood, with only two houses between you. If you were to close your eyes, it would be easy to relive years of school, football games, dances, and long nights of getting into trouble with friends. You always knew that you were attracted to him but wouldn’t ever risk losing the bond you shared by telling him your closest-kept secret. So, you watched him date the prettiest girls and listened to your friend's fantasies about him at sleepovers. All, while dying just a little bit more inside.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

            You watched from the Kelce box, high above the crowds of screaming fans in the stands, as your best friend achieved what he had been working for his entire life. Tears that you didn’t even know had started falling down your cheeks, falling to soak the neckline of the Chief’s jersey bearing his name. His mother was silent beside you, beaming with pride but holding her excitement back for Jason’s sake. Silently, she reached for your hand and squeezed. You squeezed back in acknowledgment.

            A security guard entered the room, alerting the players’ families that it was time to go down to the field to celebrate with their boys. You followed the throng of excited people downstairs and through the tunnels, absorbing the energy they were radiating. Absentmindedly, you placed your hand against the front of your jeans pocket, ensuring your hearing aids were still safely inside. You had taken them off when the timer hit zero and the cheering in the room became too loud for you to bear.

“You ok honey?” Mr. Kelce signed to you clumsily and her heart swelled. The Kelce family had all learned basic signs over the years, but Travis was the only one she would consider fluent.

“I’m just so happy for him,” You wiped your tears and signed back slowly, “He really did it.”

            Fresh tears began to fall as the crowd pushed forward and you couldn’t help the ache that overtook your heart. You remembered all the times you spent talking about your dreams and the phone calls shared from faraway points in the country when you both got older, and your lives weren’t linear. He was always there for you, through everything and you loved him deeply for it in secret still.

            Suddenly, the crowd parted, and warm light hit your face. Confetti fell around the arena, blanketing the players and their families. She watched as wives threw themselves into their tired arms, parents wept for their son's success and children ran around enjoying the atmosphere. You spotted Travis and Jason on the 40-yard line, heads bent together. You could see Jason’s lips moving but couldn’t read them from your current position. When Travis beamed as his mother approached, you assumed Jason had told him to enjoy his victory. His smile had always been the most beautiful you had ever seen but, in this moment, it was the sun.

            You hung back and watched as the Kelce family simultaneously celebrated and comforted each other. When Jason’s wife and children surrounded him, Travis’s eyes began to search the crowd and fell on you. He smiled brightly and you couldn’t help but smile back.

“What are you doing all the way over there?” He signed quickly, the smile never leaving his handsome face.

“Letting you enjoy your family,” You signed back, flashing him a smile of your own, before adding “I’m so fucking proud of you Travie.”

            The use of his childhood nickname made his chest vibrate with laughter and he began walking towards you. Your heart threatened to stop beating in those few moments before he reached you and when he finally did, you could have sworn that you were living a dream you had had for years. Without hesitation, his still-gloved hand reached into your pocket and extracted your hearing aids.

“I want you to hear me when I say this.” He signed before handing your devices to you.

            With shaking hands, you managed to secure them around your ears and noise flooded your quiet world. The atmosphere around you was electric but the only sound that you were concerned with was the voice of the man before you.

“It’s always been you y/n.” He said firmly before putting an arm around your waist, drawing you close to his body. You gasped, placing one shaking hand over his chest pads. His familiar scent clouded all your senses.

“Travis, I don’t understand.” You stammered in response as his hand squeezed your hip.

“I knew I loved you my whole life,” He breathed, his face inching closer to yours until your lips were inches apart, “But I’ve been too stupid to do anything about it until now.”

            His lips met yours softly at first but quickly became demanding. You met his advance hungrily, gripping the back of his shaven head and pulling his body closer to yours. You had only ever imagined what this moment would feel like before and now that it was happening, you’d be damned if you didn’t put your years of longing into this one kiss.

“I love you.” He whispered softly, the hand on your cheek holding firm.

“It was always you too, Travis,” You smiled while wiping a piece of stray victory confetti from his stubbled cheek, “Always.”

#travis kelce x reader #travis kelce fic #deaf reader

[holly-fixation]

Three... Guards? Ch13

Summary: Tifa finds Cloud at the train station in Sector Seven. It’s the first time she’s seen him in seven years. But he’s not alone. Three silver haired boys protected him. Three silver haired boys that triggered memories of her hometown. Of steel through her chest. Of SOLDIER First Class. Of Him.

They must escape while they still can.

Please Enjoy!

Inspired by the prompt by @im-totally-not-an-alien

Chapter 13: City Escape

The elevator rang as the party entered the second highest floor of Shinra HQ. Without hesitation, Genesis and Strife sprung into action, knocking every receptionist and security guard unconscious, and Barret destroyed the security cameras. 

“Tie them up,” Strife ordered as he aided in the task he commanded. Red and Barret looked at each other and shrugged. Tifa stepped up, Loz following and helping as they collected wires. Aerith watched Yazoo with a hand placed on his shoulder, the engraved nameplate still firmly within his grasp. 

“We need to find a way down,” Red mentioned, almost leaning toward the glass elevators. 

“Gotta go up to go down,” Barret explained. “The president's keycard’s the perfect way to do it.”

“Then let’s not waste any time.” Their leader stepped forward, moving the staff members to the center of the hall with his right hand, the smallest silver child still supported by his left. “What do you know about the president’s office?”

“It's a large waste of space with one desk near the helipad,” Genesis answered first. 

“Oh good, it didn’t change-” The older blond cut himself off, blue eyes wide. 

“What’s wrong?”

“...Let’s find out,” Strife avoided the question as he, Tifa, and Loz tied the employees together for one final measure. Once again, Strife and Genesis led the group, Barret at the ready to block out visuals. Though in all honesty, they didn’t have too much extra time. Security would only be delayed with their preparation, not prevented. Someone would notice the camera malfunctions. It was only a matter of time. 

The group climbed up the final staircase, red carpet muffling their steps. Strife pushed open the double doors at the top, revealing the massive office decorated with thick pillars and black tile. At the far window sat the president’s desk, President Shinra shocked and scrambling the moment he caught sight of them. 

Genesis practically flew across the room, grabbing the president around the neck and forcing him to step away from the desk. “Ah ah ah, can’t have you grabbing any weapons, can we? Or maybe trigger the silent alarm?”

Bullets destroyed the security cameras. The party stepped forward. 

“Genesis Rhapsodos. What a surprise. Aren’t you supposed to be in the gutter with all the other failed lab rats?” The commander in chief feigned strength but failed to contain the fearful crack in his voice.

“Good to see you too, Mr. President. How’s your son doing? Still trying to learn how to fight? Say, do you think he can take on a former First? I’d love to see him try.”

“We didn’t get to talk much last time,” Barret joined in. “Feelin’ like listenin’ now?”

As the group zeroed in on the Shinra, Strife glanced between the man and the doors repeatedly. 

“Pathetic,” President Shinra huffed, trying to wriggle out of the SOLDIER’s grip. With Tifa’s encouragement, Loz hopped behind the desk and searched through the drawers. 

“Look. I’ll let you off easy today. Make a simple statement about how Shinra knows it’s killin’ the planet, and get us a car to get outta here. Sound good?”

The silver child handed the redhead two computer cables. 

“Perfect. Thank you.” Genesis immediately restricted gilded hands. The extra silence the president.

Loz turned back to the group, holding up a retractable lanyard with an ID slipped in a plastic pouch. “Found his keycard…” his voice was still shrouded in grief.

“Thank you, Loz,” Tifa gave an attempt at a smile. Luckily the boy reacted with the same fluttering confusion as always. At least that was still effective. 

“This is wrong,” Strife stated, nearly in shock. 

“What is?”

“He’s supposed to be dead already.”

“Who kills him?” Strife’s young self questioned immediately, and if Strife was in his shoes, he would do the same. 

“Sephiroth.”

“Who disappeared after Mother did…” Yazoo finished at barely a whisper, clutching the metal closer.

“But what would that change?” Aerith asked. “He's only one person.”

Strife thought for a moment, wishing he could word his next statement softly. “...This is the president that approved the fall of the Sector Seven Plate. And the Sector Five Plate. Just because we stopped them doesn't mean they won't try anything like it again. Keeping him in charge is…dangerous. The current Vice President won't allow plans of mass casualties. Trust me.”

“He's more useful alive than dead,” Barret countered. “He can at least shut down a few reactors!” 

“We don't have enough time.” Cloud adjusted the boy in his arms. “We need to get out of here before security arrives.”

The president grunted before attempting to open his mouth, but the wire muffled his voice. 

“But who's going to do it…?” Tifa realized softly. “I mean, even in AVALANCHE, killing the president wasn't the goal. It's not going to stop the other directors from running the same reactors…”

“I'll do it,” The Crimson Soldier volunteered, though the cat-like playfulness vanished from his voice. 

“Hold on a minute-”

“This man allowed the science department to ruin the lives of everyone I knew, including myself. I've done many horrible things, but as they say, you regret the things you didn't do too, yes? And I regret letting you live just as much as all I did.”

The group looked at each other. The flower girl that cherished life found herself turning away, guiding the long haired boy who followed her every caring command. The bartender held the largest boy's hand and led him down the stairs of the desk. The gun armed man glanced at the red furred creature they rescued from the labs. The beast shrugged, a pitiless stare given to the Commander in Chief. The smallest silver boy balled his hands in the purple SOLDIER sweater. The blonds nodded to each other before nodding at the Crimson Soldier. 

“To become the dew that quenches the land

To spare the sands, the seas, the skies

I offer thee this silent sacrifice.”

With a swift slash of a crimson blade, the gilded corpse fell to the ground. 

“Now how are you planning to get out of here?” Genesis questioned casually. 

“In my time, we used the Hardy Daytona and three wheeled pick-up truck in the lobby,” Strife explained before glancing around. “...Shoot…”

The group looked at each other. There were simply too many of them for one truck and one motorcycle. 

“I can take one of you, but I’m afraid one is my passenger limit.” The man in red mentioned. 

“We won't have to get far with all of us…” Cloud thought aloud, his hand absently trailing the child's medical robe. “If I can get one of security's motorcycles…”

Aerith turned to Genesis, her bow bobbing with a tilt of her head. “Can you take any of us? Any at all?”

“Of course.”

The girl in pink glanced at the man with a gun for an arm.

There was a pause. “Oh hell no.”

Tifa perked up. “She's right. Barret, if space is the issue-” 

“I don't know this guy! Why can't he just take the boys?”

Genesis glanced up, almost reminiscent. “It would be a very rough ride. Especially once Shinra starts firing on us.”

“Ride on what?” 

Even Strife didn't know the answer to that question. 

The Crimson Soldier let out a small sigh before extending his arm, a massive crooked wing expelling from his back. Ebony feathers gently glided through the air. 

Everyone stepped back. The two older boys nearly hissed. 

“What the hell?!” Barret's question boomed through the office. 

“Strife found me in a secret underground lab and you’re still surprised? Shinra's experiments did this to me. I'll explain when we are not actively running out of time. According to Strife, you ran to Kalm after escaping Shinra in his time. I'll fly west to divert the army and we'll meet you in Kalm when things die down.”

“Barret, you don't let anyone talk down to you either. You’ll keep him in line,” Cloud mentioned, softening the father's resolve. 

“If you try any funny business, pretty boy, I'll blow your head clean off.”

Genesis brushed his hair into place. “I’ll take that as a yes.”

Cloud and Strife glanced around the room. There were still so many of them. Cloud, Red, and the three boys would barely fit in the truck. But it would have to do until they could steal another vehicle. 

Loz opened his mouth, but Yazoo grabbed him, silencing him with stern eyes. 

“Let's put this keycard to use,” Tifa held up the item as she spoke. See you in Kalm, Barret.”

“Good luck,” Barret grumbled as Genesis opened the doors to the helipad. The rest of the group claimed both elevators and rushed down to the lobby, half ahead and half waiting behind to catch Shinra’s forces off guard. 

* * * 

The first group obeyed the command to freeze at the bottom level of the lobby, completely surrounded by troops ready to fire. The head of security walked straight through the defenses and mocked the escapees. The team stood at the ready, waiting for Strife’s entrance. 

“Tell me, what is this ragtag group of misfits I see before me?”

“Ex-SOLDIER.”

“Local florist.”

“Lab-rat dog.”

The boys didn’t even answer, Loz clutching the vial of ashes as Yazoo tightened the headplate. Kadaj barely moved, only tightening in Cloud’s hold. 

“And the ‘Sephiroth Remnants’ Hojo wants back,” Heiddiger spoke for them. “Where are the others?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know, meanie!” Loz shouted.

“Adorable. Very mature.” The director barked a laugh before ordering his men, “Capture the children and the Ancient. Feel free to kill the rest.”

Aerith took Loz’s right hand and Yazoo’s left, blocking the clear path forward. The director scowled at her sacrificial display before a rumble suddenly rang through the room. With a rev of the engine, Strife sprang into action on the Hardy Daytona, knocking down all units as he maneuvered the bike like an extension of himself. Each troop fell to his sword and skills as Tifa started the truck. Only the director remained standing when Strife turned away.

“Get in!” Tifa yelled once she was close, throwing the door open. The largest child launched into the bed, but the middle one was taken by the red beast by the scruff of his clothes. Both boys sat against the glass to protect what they could of Mother. 

The flower girl took the passenger seat before holding out her arms. “Let me take him, Cloud. He’ll be safer up front.”

Kadaj strained the fabric of Cloud’s sweater, his breath strained and audible. 

“Just until we’re home free. I promise,” The ex-SOLDIER quickly but carefully lowered the boy into Aerith’s lap, deliberately removing the child’s hands. She swiftly moved the boy between her and Tifa on the seat and slammed the door. Cloud hopped into the bed as Kadaj shivered, curling into the tightest ball the boy could manage. 

They barely fit, but for now, it was enough. 

Strife led the charge, knocking back the last security officers and shattering the glass with the fusion sword. Red and Cloud tried to shield the boys from the shatter as they launched through the air and roughly landed on the abandoned expressway. 

“Everyone okay?” Aerith turned back. 

“Can’t complain,” Red answered immediately. “No one is injured.”

“We’re not in the clear yet. Take a breather but be ready.” Cloud watched the skies and the onramps. Drivers kept their eyes on the road, but passengers adjusted within the larger vehicle. 

Yazoo slowly placed the headplate into Loz’s lap. At the protest and surprise, he simply lifted his pistol and glanced at the road. 

“Are you sure?”

“I have better aim and we both know it… Keep it safe…”

Loz nodded softly, holding both of Mother’s remains to his chest. Red gave the boys a curious, sorrowful look, but when turning to Cloud for an answer, none was given. The ex-SOLDIER remained on watch.

In the front cabin, Aerith slowly revealed a green materia to the child at her side. 

Once mako blue eyes caught the orb, he shook his head frantically, squeezing into himself. 

“Just a small, normal healing spell, okay?”

Another shake of silver hair. 

“I can control this spell way better than the other one. You’ll be safe. And I’ll stop it right away if something happens, alright?”

Kadaj ducked, holding his head against his knees. 

“One cure,” She pushed. “Just one and if you even feel a little itchy I’ll stop, okay?”

The boy didn’t move. Three seconds passed without a proper response before the orb in the flower girl’s hand began to glow, and a soft green swirled into the boy’s heart. The driver cringed in preparation, but the boy did not make a sound.

He glanced at the girl in pink, silent and confused. 

“See? Now we can heal you up once we’re out of here. I’m so sorry I hurt you.”

Tifa sighed in relief, but Kadaj looked down. 

“We've got company!” 

Drivers checked their mirrors, and passengers turned back, watching Shinra approach on multiple motorcycles and fully armed trucks. Helicopters whirred in the distance, out of sight but certainly on the hunt. 

Fusion Sword and Buster Sword at the ready, anyone who could prepared for the fight as the drivers stepped on it. Beyond the capacity limit, the pickup truck could not accelerate as quickly or maintain as high of a velocity as the Hardy Daytona, and Strife needed to fall back in order to protect them. 

“I'll keep them away,” Strife shouted as officers drove up from behind. “Focus on the road!”

Bullets shot through the air, Strife weaving and drifting through the expressway to take down every last enemy on the road. The occasional shot from the long haired Sephiroth remnant no doubt aided their escape. Everything was the same until the helicopters caught up with them, launching explosives to catch their party in the blast. Tifa swerved repeatedly, trying to avoid the fires while maintaining top speed. 

It was only a matter of time before flames surrounded them for a moment, most occupants yelling in pain and bracing for impact. 

“Tifa, get close to one of the troops,” Cloud commanded. 

“What?! Are you crazy?!”

“Too much is going on. You need to keep everyone safe. We can draw their attention. They won't have the manpower to aim for all of us.”

Strife knocked another troop off of a Shinra sanctioned motorcycle and caught the handlebars with his blade. “Get on!”

Cloud launched, the truck jostling as if hitting a bad pothole from the force alone. 

“Be careful, Big Brother!” Loz shouted from his spot next to the red creature before ducking under a new wave of bullets.

The blond landed on the vehicle and Strife swiftly removed the blade. Every second they wasted on this transition meant more firepower focused on the truck. Cloud grabbed the handlebars with his left hand and the Buster Sword with his right. Together they swept through Shinra's ground forces, men knocked off their vehicles and rolled on the unforgiving pavement. 

Yet again, the company adapted. 

“Brace!” Red yelled, pinning the two boys against the cab with his body. Tifa tried to swerve, but the rockets landed in an impenetrable line on the road. 

Everyone screamed as they ran through the fire. 

“Tifa!” Cloud shouted first, barely acknowledging his own pain from the flames. 

“We're okay! For now… I don’t know how many more hits this thing can take!”

Cloud turned to his future self. “Can you reach those helicopters?”

Strife scanned the curved walls of the expressway and tightened his grip on his sword. Not enough. “Stay in the back. I'll disperse the fires.”

“That won't be enough.” 

“Do you have a better idea?”

He didn't. With multiple helicopters communicating attacks at once, each reload threatened everyone's lives. They couldn't turn back. No exits existed on this decommissioned highway. They needed a miracle. A guardian angel. 

Bullets rained down upon the circling aerial blades, one helicopter colliding with the other before another attack launched. The team looked up, searching for the source. A man in red with one black wing carried a one armed man through the air. 

“Long time no see!”

“Barret!” Tifa couldn’t help but look.

“We couldn’t just leave you with these assholes!”

“You looked like you required assistance.” Genesis flapped his wing and the two rose in the air, ready for the next strike.

From both above and below, their party was unstoppable. From the smallest troop to the latest and greatest in weapon technology, the team shook Shinra’s defenses and met in the plains beyond the city of mako. 

.

.

.

.

To be continued…

Three Guards Chapter List

Author’s Note: Well, this is the end of Remake! I made a plan long before Rebirth launched and I plan on continuing it. Some Rebirth elements will appear, but the whole ending just does NOT fit with my plan. …for now at least. I won’t go into spoilers without warning at the beginning of a chapter. For now, you’re all safe! I hope you’re enjoying this story. It’s a lot of fun. 

I’m starting my first real job soon! I won’t be able to update as much but I’m very excited to enter the workforce. I won’t be abandoning any of my current stories. I promise.

Thanks for reading!

#ffvii #final fantasy vii #ff7 #final fantasy 7 #cloud strife #ff7 kadaj #kadaj ff7 #advent children #tifa lockhart #yazoo #aerith gainsborough #barret wallace #red xiii #genesis rhapsodos #three guards

[tealmaskmybeloved]

Ok, since like Is aid, I’ve cooked a little too long. So, I had to split it into parts

Part 1: Beginning of the end

Overall, the plot line is mostly the same as canon, except the MC has been feeling very uneasy around Kieran and feels that something’s off. Not just appearance, but something, really, REALLY wrong. The MC has also been plagued by nightmares, and all of them have a Kieran that looks corrupted and have chains, and keep sending death threats. However, it was all just a nightmare. Fast forward to the crater, everything is the same, and that feeling disappears, Kieran shows no sign of being corrupted. Skip to the epilogue, basically the same but no Pecharunt involved. But MC feels that something is watching them, and even when she’s alone or a group, she feels being watched. On the last day of the trip, when he/she woke up, there was a letter, saying that he will come and end him, the ink was in purple and there was a series of random numbers. It was eerie but no information can be found.

3 months later, MC got a call from Carmine to come back to BB academy to act as a mentor for new students, since, he/she became champion before. MC agreed but the Zero Crew decided to tag along. After a while, when MC checked his/her boxes, he/she realized that Terapagos is missing. They went to Carmine a who was with Briar, and told them that Terapagos is missing. They were shocked before Carmine revealed that strange things were going on in the academy. Power outages, wild pokemon being more aggressive, students complaining of nightmares and so on. Briar is trying to find out what is going on as they are becoming more frequent. When MC returned to the Terrarium (battling some aggressive pokemon), was the Terrarium Core slightly more purple than usual? Anyways, he/she saw Kieran and Kieran asked for a friendly match, right here in the Terrarium, that uneasy feeling as back but couldn’t put a finger on it, in the end, he/she didn’t have a choice, a friendly battle commences.

To Be Continued

Oooooooh I love this idea so far!

My only question is how would the epilouge play out without Pecharunt? (Unless you're talking about something else.)

Also gotta love how Kieran is like "sure let's have a friendly match here while the Pokémon are acting aggressive surely nothing bad can happen!"

Unless he (Or Pecharunt/Dokutaro is behind it, which could be the case here)

Can't wait to see the next part! :D

#ask and ye shall receive #pokemon #pecharunt #pokemon kieran #rival kieran #kieran pokemon #pokemon dlc #au potential #pokemon dokutaro #dokutaro #pokemon spoilers #does it count if its an au

[ibuki-loves-you]

You open? If so, can I ask for the protagonists catching the reader S@lfh*rm? I'm kinda in the mood for comfort. Its ok if you don't wanna do this!

Hajime, Shuichi, and Kaede finding their S/O self harming

Warnings: Self harm, gender neutral

Mod Ibuki: Enjoy! Hope you're okay!

Hajime Hinata:

Hajime was beyond confused. He had zero idea what to do. He didn't know whether to run and get a first aid kit, hug you, or get someone more experienced.

He finally decided to give you a hug first. A tight, careful hug. He didn’t wanna hurt you anymore than you already were but he needed to know that you are there and alive and your heart is beating.

“Why.”

That was all he asked. Just why. When you told him, he lost it. He wasn’t angry but he raised his voice. He was just scared, so scared of losing you.

“That’s not true! Not remotely! Why would you think that!?”

When Hajime saw your reaction to his yelling he immediately toned it down and apologized, hugging you again and comforting you after his little outburst. This is what happens when he’s scared, and he knows he’s got to fix it. He feels bad because he lost it for a second when you least needed it.

After comforting you for a bit, he grabbed a first aid kit and began bandaging you up. Mikan taught everyone first aid basics, so he kinda knew what he was doing. Enough to patch you up and make sure your wounds are clean.

Afterwards, he got a blanket and wrapped you and him in it. On the bathroom floor. He wanted to talk. Almost like a therapy session. He wanted you to vent for as long as you needed to. Just get everything out, you know?

“I want you to know I love and care for you. I hate seeing you hurt and this broke me. I love you too much to stand by and watch you suffer. So please come to me from now on. I’m here for you.”

Shuichi Saihara:

Shuichi cried as soon as he saw you. He ran straight for you and held you, petting your hair and sobbing. He was always so sensitive to death and injury, seeing it on his lover made him instantly break down.

“B-Baby…why honey why.” “I-I’m hurting, Shu.” “I know baby, I’m s-so sorry.”

After a long hug he got a first aid kit and began wrapping your wounds, making sure they were clean and won’t get infected. Tears were still falling down his cheeks, one landing on the bandage. When he saw the tear stain, it made him start sobbing all over again. Luckily, he was almost done, so he finished quickly and hugged you close again.

Shuichi asked you to talk to him. Tell him everything you’ve been feeling. Why you did this, what led to it, etc. It was almost like an interview. He just cares so much, he needs to know everything that was going through your head so he can piece together how to help you.

Once you told him how you were really feeling, everything hit him hard. So that’s why you’ve been a bit off. Maybe if he said something this wouldn’t have happened. Maybe if he gave you a hug that day in the restaurant. Maybe if he-

No, he needs to stop overthinking. This is about you. You need him right now.

“Baby, I promise you. You aren’t a burden, or a negative person. You are the light of my life. You make me so happy. You make the world a brighter place for me. So please, hold on for me.”

Kaede Akamatsu:

Kaede froze. She needed to process what was going on in front of her. It didn’t hit her that you, her love, had hurt themselves purposely.

“My love…?”

Her voice was barely above a whisper. It was when you shakily lifted your arms for a hug that she snapped out of it and ran to hold you. She hummed and rocked you back and forth while you cried, calming you down.

Kaede didn’t wanna pull away, but she had to clean your wounds. She slowly backed up and reached for a first aid kit to begin patching you up. She didn’t know anything about first aid, so you and her watched a Youtube video on how to properly patch someone up while she followed along. When she finished, she wanted you to talk to her about what happened. What caused this pain?

“What happened, honey? Please tell me.”

While Kaede was rocking you, you were stumbling on your words and venting to her. But she understood. She caught what you were saying and the parts she didn’t, she didn’t ask for you to repeat. She knew this was hard enough as is, you didn’t need any more stress.

She was frowning into your shoulder when you finished. You really felt like that…? Kaede didn’t know what to say except positive things. About you. Your looks. Your shining personality. How wonderful you treated her.

“I promise you! You are amazing, baby! No really! You are! You’re my sunshineee, my only sunshineee, you make me happyyyy, when skies are greyyyy. Hehe, you’re a beautiful person lovey. I love you.

#danganronpa #danganronpa x reader #mod ibuki writes! #sdr2 #drv3 #hajime hinata #hajime hinata x reader #shuichi saihara #shuichi saihara x reader #kaede akamatsu #kaede akamatsu x reader

[imperiuswrecked]

Namor: Conquered Shores #1 SPOILERS

I’m gonna be read/reviewing the comic that has gripped my BODY AND SOUL today, and I’m gonna make it everyone’s problem.

We start off Namor, 100 years in the future, and the explanation for why is short but to the point, I’m really glad Cantwell didn’t dwell on the whole end of the world plot because I have read those kinda plots so many times and I have zero interest in another one.

When we first see Namor you get this sense of aloofness from him, as if he’s looking down at these two humans like they are bugs he can easily squash, even his offhanded judgement of “I don’t really care enough, to be honest” would make one think he’s removed himself from the situation of the surface human struggle to survive.

Ferry’s art is wonderful, I do love how pointy he made Namor’s ears! But the sketchy quality of his work, really works for the story imo because it’s been giving me these raypunk scifi novel book cover vibe, it but it def has that astonishing stories cover art feel to it. As a person who loves most of the Punk subgeneres (cyberpunk, raypunk, steampunk etc.) this was great for me.

What I want to quickly point out is how awesome the colorist is as well, the toxic air in the surface world being represented by this mist is such a great touch!

It's so refreshing to see Atlantis thriving when all we ever get in the current comics is another Atlantis is destroyed plot. I love the undersea scenes Ferry has created, it really has this beautiful underseapunk futuristic vibe.

Namor’s arrogance is present as well, you can almost hear him saying “Am I not the most benevolent ruler?” and “It was I who usered in this golden age of Atlantis”, I love how Cantwell doesn’t shy away from his Pride and Arrogance which are both key traits for this character.

You do not know how great it is to have Nita back, for many people who may not have read Namor and Nita comics, there is a Big Brother and Little Sister relationship, and when she died it really messed him up because she was the closest family he had. Future!Nita is now Queen, and there is a coldness to her in her regards to the humans that past Nita didn’t have, who knows what has turned her heart colder, one could explore a lot in the 100 years since to understand why.

However the aloofness we felt from Namor in the opening pages is contradicted by Nita’s words “When you do return home, you obsess over the suffering of the surface settlement clamoring for aid to a doomed people.” Namor once again showing that even if on the exterior he is a salty mean bitch, inside he is a bleeding heart. I love how this comic shows that Namor is still trying to bridge the gap between his two people, and how he’s always been the one to stand for and between them depending on the circumstances. The Atlanteans in the comics have always hated and mistrusted the surface world, Namor is one of the few who would actively seek peace (outside of plots that would require him to take vengeance for his people, etc)

I ADORE this scene, lol. This Snobby Bitchy pair hold my whole heart, but I really love the third panel in the center, Nita trying to copy Namor, she’s looked up to him ever since her escape from Llyra’s clutches, and it’s just so cute, little sister coping her big brother. Also her words, her wanting Namor to be there to advise her. DO YOU KNOW HOW LONG I’VE BEEN WAITING FOR 1 CRUMB OF SUB-MARINER FAMILY FEELS? SO LONG.

lol, to Namor slyly suggesting/joking she give up her crown if she feels the burden is too much and have a council XD this is that dry sarcasm I don’t get from Namor these days because writers never write him well! I’m just really happy about this comic.

Eudora is a great addition to the supporting characters. I do love a tiny science nerd lady.

The cool blues of the thriving people beneath the waves vs the harsh reds of the decimated world above really provides the best contrast between the worlds. I think the artist and colorist collaboration is perfect in setting the tones for each world. 

I've always said "Namor going to the surface world should feel like he is setting foot on an alien planet bc to him the humans ARE aliens, their world isn't the world he was raised in by his mother, Princess Fen", for once I finally get that feeling that Namor is in another world.

There is this vibe, this tone, that Cantwell sets within his words that I'm trying to describe, it's like a sadness? but deeper. It's sorrow. It's like they lost something long ago, and while Namor's people are thriving his heart is torn with sorrow over the plight of the humans. This whole surface scene is just ALOT, but the way Namor is shown is so in character, yes Namor is older and less brash and less ready to talk with his fists, holding himself back even when attacked. I like to think it’s because Namor knows how sensitive things are in the relationship between his people and the humans. A human dying at his hands would make his mission to convince the rest of the surfacers to move to one of his undersea settlements much harder, they already hate him.

I was NOT expecting Jim to show up in issue one, but aaaahhhh my HEART, the way Namor is screaming for him!!! I wonder how long has it been since he’s seen Jim? I just love Namor and Jim SO MUCH, and this comic is gonna make me cry over them I just know it.

Cantwell's letter at the end of the comic is a must read as well! I really enjoyed reading it and it really feels like I have a person who understands what makes these characters so beloved even if most of the world and time has forgotten about Jim and Namor.

There’s more I haven’t talked about but I urge people to give this comic a read and to follow along with future comics!

#namor #namor mckenzie #namor the sub mariner #jim hammond #namorita #nita prentiss #conquered shores #imp reads namor

[ash-and-books]

Rating: 3.5/5

Book Blurb: The stunning sequel to Daughter of the Moon Goddess delves deeper into beloved Chinese mythology, concluding the epic story of Xingyin—the daughter of Chang’e and the mortal archer, Houyi—as she battles a grave new threat to the realm, in this powerful tale of love, sacrifice, and hope. After winning her mother’s freedom from the Celestial Emperor, Xingyin thrives in the enchanting tranquility of her home. But her fragile peace is threatened by the discovery of a strange magic on the moon and the unsettling changes in the Celestial Kingdom as the emperor tightens his grip on power. While Xingyin is determined to keep clear of the rising danger, the discovery of a shocking truth spurs her into a perilous confrontation.Forced to flee her home once more, Xingyin and her companions venture to unexplored lands of the Immortal Realm, encountering legendary creatures and shrewd monarchs, beloved friends and bitter adversaries. With alliances shifting quicker than the tides, Xingyin has to overcome past grudges and enmities to forge a new path forward, seeking aid where she never imagined she would. As an unspeakable terror sweeps across the realm, Xingyin must uncover the truth of her heart and claw her way through devastation—to rise against this evil before it destroys everything she holds dear, and the worlds she has grown to love . . . even if doing so demands the greatest price of all.

Review:

The daughter of the Moon Goddess, finally reunited with her mother after freeing her mother from her imprisonment and healing from the betrayal from both her love interest must now face off against the Celestial Kingdom who threatens to destroy everything she holds dear... and she must choose between the two love interests that are once again in her life as she faces off against a new evil.  Xingyin is still reeling from the betrayal of Wenzhi, who still haunts her dreams and visits her while also dealing with her feelings for Liwei, the prince. Wenzhi is the prince of the demon realm who trapped her but she defeated him, yet now he comes back begging for her forgiveness, telling her he regrets everything and that the only thing that matters to him is her. He’ll do anything she wants yet she is firm in her refusal of him. She firmly believes that he broke her trust, thus forever closing the door to anything between them. Now there is Liwei, the prince who was betrothed to someone else and wanted her to remain his mistress but now he is no longer betrothed but his family is bent on killing her and her family. Despite everything Xingyin is in love with both of them, despite the entire book being her denying and refusing Wenzhi and trying to stay firm in her love for Liwei ( obviously I am all for Wenzhi, honestly, Liwei is as bland as they come and the guy had basically zero character growth, I just didn’t like him despite him being considered the sweeter love interest). Wenzhi on the other hand is willing to do anything for her to get her to see that he loves her. While this back and forth is going on in the love triangle, there is also the issue that the Celestial Kingdom has kicked out Xingyin and her family, they are being hunted, a evil rises that wants to destroy them, and she might have found her father whom she thought was dead. Xingyin must find a way to save those she holds dear and finally pick a path for herself and who she wants to be and who she wants to be with. Overall it was an okay ending to the series, in terms of the love interests, the one I wanted ended up doing nicely so yeah, in the end it all worked out. 

*Thanks Netgalley and Avon and Harper Voyager, Harper Voyager for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

#book review #bookish #daughter of the moon goddess #heart of the sun warrior #ya book #ya fantasy romance

[abla-soso]

I wouldn’t blame the sins of the mother on her children (the knife fight is totally on them, they consciously decided to play dirty). If it wasn’t for the knife, I’d have been more forgiving. But there was a knife so yup. Honestly from what we have seen of Harwin, I don’t think HE would have been pleased his boys yanked out a knife, making the fight unfair. If he was able to act as a father, he might have even wanted to hold them accountable- alas, he couldnt.

Overall, the boys (Jace at least), seem to have a vague sense of responsibility in their older age. We didn’t get much Harwin screen time, but if he was a mentor to the boys like Criston was to Alicent’s kids, there’s definitely a chance that Jace and Luce have what I would say is…potential. They’ve obviously got their faults, but they’re not Aegon and Aemond.

I think the honest issue is Jace and Luce are/were blank slates. If season 2 can pace itself better, we will see Jace get an actual personality because 1), he’ll be more center stage up until he dies, and 2) He’s definitely aware that Harwin is his true born father. It’s always Jace that reacts first to the bastard accusation. So Luce ultimately drank his mothers kool-aid. Jace did as well, but with him it’s akin to drinking something you know is bad for you, but you do it anyway, trying to convince yourself that it’s good when it’s just awful.

On a side note, isn’t Daeron supposed to be a good cinnamon roll? What was he doing in Oldtown? Did he spend much of his life there?

I wouldn't blame Rhaenyra or any parent for every shitty thing their kids did. That's not fair. But that knife incident was totally a horrendously bad parenting move on her part, and it tainted how her sons dealt with anger and personal responsibility. She was the one who lied and gaslight her way out of having her sons face ANY punishment for slashing her little brother's eye out. She was the one who asked for her disabled and traumatized little brother to be tortured. No wonder her sons ended up feeling zero guilt and even openly mocked Aemond when they were grown enough to self-reflect. Rhaenyra's actions on that day taught them it's ok to react with extreme violence when someone insults them and it's ok to lie and manipulate and appeal to authority to avoid any consequences and it's cool to not feel any remorse for any of this bullshit. She loved her sons, but she was a bad mother.

I don't think it mattered that Harwin wasn't able to act like a father toward his sons. He was still an active and important male figure in their lives and they bonded with him, enough to grieve losing him. And there is nothing that points to Laenor being anything but an active, caring father. So the boys had two father figures in their lives who openly cared for them... and yet they still turned out like that.

They’ve obviously got their faults, but they’re not Aegon and Aemond.

Luke and Jace might be more outwardly "nice" and put together, but they're not less fucked up than Aemond. Aemond had enough decency to try to console Luke and Jace after they lost Harwin, and they were his bullies at that time. Aegon was a different story. He was severely emotionally neglected by his father, and his mother was too young and traumatized to raise him properly on her own, and she had no support. No shit he's gonna be more fucked up. Rhaeyra's mental health was relatively fine, had way more freedom, and she had two caring "husbands" to help her raise Luke and Jace. What is her kids' excuse for being fucked up? There is none. She just spoiled them like her father spoiled her.

On a side note, isn’t Daeron supposed to be a good cinnamon roll? What was he doing in Oldtown? Did he spend much of his life there?

I have no idea, lol. The writers should have mentioned him, but they didn't. It will make his introduction in season 2 very awkward.

#anti rhaenyra targaryen #house of the dragon

[angelbutterfly-writes]

I Still Remember Third of December

All along, she knew that she was in a three-way relationship, and more often than not, she was the third wheel. But back then, she still had hope. She had hope that maybe things would change with time, that his closeness with Lucy would translate into closeness with her.

She saw how gentle and caring he could be with the ones he loved, how he treasured them and held them close to his heart. She saw first hand how he put them first, and that's what attracted her to him.

She wanted to be cared for like that too.

But it just wasn't meant to be.

I still remember Third of December Me in your sweater You said it looked better

On me, than it did you Only if you knew How much I liked you But I watch your eyes, as she

She steps into his bedroom, eyes flitting over the sparseness of it. There's a bed, a wardrobe and a bedside table but not much else. Even the bedside table held only a single photo of Kojo... And Lucy?

She guesses it makes sense considering he was her dog first, but didn't he have other pictures of Kojo he could use?

Shaking her head, she walks over to his wardrobe, looking for something to change into for the night. She'd brought some clothes of her own, but they're not exactly her comfiest pyjamas - holey and worn out pyjamas she had for ten years didn't seem to be the right thing to bring to their first sleepover - so she was hoping to at least borrow a sleep shirt.

She goes through the shirts, carefully carding through them until she found a dark grey top. It's a little big, but feels well loved and a gentle brush of it with her thumb gives more comfort than she could have ever expected.

She's about to switch out her clothes when Tim enters, his gaze immediately zeroing on the shirt in her hands.

"What are you doing?" His tone isn't accusing, but it isn't gentle. A flash of something crosses his face and she's not sure what to do. Had she misread the room and overstepped her boundary?

The shirt in her hands brought back memories, memories of Lucy stepping out from his bathroom in that very shirt; memories of him holding her that same night as he wished he could give her all the comfort in the world; memories of how she cried in his arms after getting the call because she was just too overwhelmed with emotion.

The joy of finding Angela alive lead to grief because they knew the same couldn't be done for Jackson. There was grief because her best friend was gone, grief because he could no longer be her partner on the streets and that she wasn't there to have his six when he always had hers. And that little spark of joy and relief led to guilt because how could she have felt even a hint of joy when her best friend lay in a cold drawer, murdered not even 24 hours ago.

Lucy had broken down before she could even change out of his clothes, had broken down in front of the very same bathroom she came out of a few hours before, and it was all he could do to catch her before she fell.

He held her in his arms, pulling her body into his, as he gently stroked her hair. His mouth formed whispers he can't remember, but he must've said something right because ten minutes later, they were on the road and not a tear was in sight.

"Tim?" Her voice shakes him out of his thoughts and he has to hold back the urge to check on his aide.

"Yeah, umm..." He grabs the shirt from her hands, trying to have as much direct contact with it as he can as he neatly folds it back before placing it aside.

"Sorry, that one's dirty. I meant to wash it but I forgot."

Ashley knows him enough to know its a lie, but she doesn't question him further. "I'm sorry. I was just looking for a shirt to wear and I..."

"It's ok." Tim shakes his head as he steps towards the wardrobe, already missing the comforting feel of that old worn shirt. He sifts through a few shirts he knows are on the smaller end until he finds a sweatshirt.

"Here." He holds it up to her, the "RAM"s logo glaringly obvious in the dim light.

She wants to frown at the tackiness, but bites her lip, accepting it with a grimace before stepping out to change.

When she returns, he's sitting on the bed, with that t-shirt still in his hands, and she knows there's much more to it than he's letting on.

"Wow." He puts down the shirt, but she can see the longing still in his eyes. "It looks good on you."

"Really?" She smiles.

"Yeah." He smiles back, taking her hand in his as he leads her to the bed. "Honestly, it looks better on you than me. I could never pull it off."

She laughs at that as she kisses his cheek, blowing a soft thank you into his ear in the process.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/43392447

#the rookie #Chenford #chenford fanfic #ashley mcgrady #tim bradford #lucy chen #Chris Sanford #lis #chrischen #songfic #Heather #conan grey #one year later #double dates

[starry-clown]

I want to keep believing in the duffer brothers to give a great story for Will Byers.

I wanted to keep believing…

After processing my thoughts and feelings and thinking over everything I watched in season 4 volume 2.

I wanted to share my thoughts about Will’s character because he is so important to me and I truly believe that their is more to him than just pain and suffering…

I truly wanted to believe that…

Will’s words to Mike as he shows him the painting was a LOVE confession.

Only Will used El’s name to hide behind as he pored his heart and soul to Mike about how he feels about the painting and about Mike.

Will telling Mike that El commissioned the painting by her telling Will what to draw… which I don’t buy at all because in her letter to Mike, she says that she has ZERO idea what Will is painting and that she thinks there is someone that Will likes because he’s been acting strange.

Like a shield. If Will can hide his feelings by hiding behind El, it makes it easier because Will is deathly terrified about losing Mike by just being different (queer)

We as viewers finally see that Will is in love with his childhood best friend Mike.

Which is very important to Mike’s and Will’s relationship. It really shows something so beautiful between them even though Will hid behind El’s name… Will still told Mike how he feels, only without using his name… which I found really upsetting… but I am so proud of Will for opening up to Mike like that (like ripping off a band-aid)

But then I think about the alternative… Like what if Will didn’t mention about El commissioning the painting and didn’t hide behind El’s name? Mike would probably realize that Will really has some deep meaning behind his words. Maybe even show Mike that he loves him…

BUT the writers didn’t want to go that way… no. Instead they made Will’s character HIDE… the writers are trying to keep Will from letting Mike know how HE feels. And it bothers me so much because why?

And then we have that scene where Mike and El are being playful, laughing and looking happy. With the camera zooming in on Will’s face… Will is undoubtedly unhappy seeing the two together… the writers intend to keep on showing you how hurt Will is, which is such a punch in the gut.

The camera then shows Jonathan watching Will and SEEING how Will is literally heart broken by seeing Mike and El together.

Then Jonathan gives his speech to Will about opening up to him… because he knows Will is hurting… he tell’s Will that he can tell him ANYTHING. and Jonathan like a caring brother made it very clear that he would accept and love Will, no matter what! This is also VERY important because it shows us that Will doesn’t think his feelings aren’t important so he cries into Jonathan’s arms while not saying why he’s hurting… It hurts to watch.

Yet the writers intend to make it hurt and have us watch the misery Will is going through…

Now it’s the big battle… Ah yes, the scene that made me cry so fucking much I got a fucking headache.

So Mike tells El he loves her… it’s a powerful scene but something felt off with it, like it felt forced. Like in the heat of the moment kind of thing…

I’m only saying this because it’s Will who pushes Mike to say it…

If it wasn’t for Will… Mike wouldn’t have confessed his supposed love for El…

And because that Will thinks that Mike is in love with El he thinks that it HAS to be Mike to save her. This scene crushed me so much, because it is basically just Will letting go of Mike. By pushing Mike away to go to El. Will is making it easier for himself, but you can tell that it is the hardest thing he had to do… And you can hear it in Will’s voice and see it on his face. That he hated it. This scene showed that Will cares so much for Mike happiness that he’s willing give up his own… which is so fucking sad and I wanted to stop watching right then and there.

Mostly because I felt betrayed by the writers for doing Will’s character so dirty. The writers made Will let go of Mike even after showing us how much Will LOVES him…

To be perfectly honest I wasn’t as upset with Eddie or Max’s outcome as much as I was with what they did to Will’s character this season.

As soon as Mike finished his overhyped monologue I toned out everything else and felt a big wave of depression coming over me. Like what the fuck were the writers even thinking? So all of Mike’s character development tossed away and he’s only just exiting to only be a love interest for El? Is Mike’s character’s only sole purpose to just be a boy who loves his girlfriend and nothing more? And not only that, but the writers had Mike tell El and right in front of Will that meeting her (on the day of Will’s disappearance, the day Will’s life became a living nightmare) Was the best day of Mike’s life?

I hate it. I hate it. I hate it.

I am sick of Will’s character not getting the happiness that he deserves.

They forgot Will’s birthday, Mike didn’t hug Will (who’s his best friend!) at the airport for some reason. Mike was so careless about Will this season. Where the hell was the Mike we had in season 2? Remember that Mike? The one who literally was always there for Will when he was going through hell with the mind flyer.

The very Mike who told Will that meeting him in kindergarten was the best thing he’s ever done…

The same Mike who told Will that he’ll go crazy together with him…

Where was that Mike?

After season 3 we lost that courageous and selfless and honest character.

And y,know what I think? I think the Mike we got in season 4 is hiding. Because finn Wolfhard said Mike is just trying to be normal this season.

Something in Mike’s character is so off this season, and I feel like Mike isn’t being completely honest with himself and it just doesn’t make any sense for his character to only be the sole purpose of selfishly ONLY caring about El.

Did the writers actually think it would be a good idea to have Will be this sad gay boy who suffers and goes through trauma only to have his heart broken by the only person (Mike) in his life who makes him feel like he isn’t a freak?

Do you see what I am saying? Are the writers truly so happy with themselves by doing this to Will’s character? are they truly so proud of themselves for tossing all of Mike’s character development away?

What in gods name did I watch… I’m so lost and sad and mad and hurt.

All I can do is wait for season 5 and hope the writers make it make sense.

#starry speaks #byler #will byers #mike wheeler #stranger things 4 spoilers

[literarygoon]

So,

She almost felt like she knew her.

When Eliza Robertson first set out to write about the Yukon murder of Krystle Senek, a cold case from 1992, she realized that she was roughly the same age as her subject when she was gunned down at her Carcross home by the jealous husband of a close friend. 

"Reading what happened to her, I felt hooked into the story. I wanted to understand more," she told the audience during her Munro's book launch of I Got a Name in Victoria this week.

"There were certain details about Krystle I did identify with. At the time I decided to pursue this we were the same age — she was just shy of turning 30 when she was killed. And I think most of us have had that experience, if not ourselves experiencing threats or violence then we know people who have. So it wasn't hard to imagine myself in that position, being a support person."

Though the case was never solved, it's generally accepted that Krystle was murdered by a man named Ronald Bax who subsequently disappeared and has never been found. She had begged the RCMP to accompany her home because of repeated threats he had made, but she wasn't taken seriously and ultimately met her fate alone.

This impacted Robertson deeply.

"The deeper we got into this, the more we understood that Krystle had known she was in danger and had asked for help in the weeks leading up to her murder. Her fears weren't taken seriously and were repeatedly dismissed, and we all know what the result was."

As she dove deeper into the project, she conjured a version of Krystle in her mind based on her journals and the interviews being done with family and friends. For this part of the process she was aided by her co-author Myles Dolphin, a former Yukon News reporter who had been obsessed with the case for years.

"I couldn't stop thinking about Krystle. I started to feel like I knew her. I know that's my own projection; I didn't know her at all. But a version of her lived in my head for a very long time and still does."

During the launch at Munro's, Dolphin described the process of dredging up the cold case by persistently bugging the RCMP and tracking down Krystle's mother and brother. But it wasn't until he connected with Robertson via Twitter that the project began to take shape.

At the beginning of the reading, Robertson asked the audience to take a moment to honour Krystle's memory — an arm-wrestling champion and loyal friend who defied gender expectations. As she put it, Krystle is one example of the pervasive problem of domestic violence and systemic apathy that still exists in Canada, and though her killer has never been found she hopes to "do her justice" with the book. 

In one of the most chilling passages, Robertson travels down to Mississippi to follow up on a lead about Bax's ID being found there. A local bartender tells her that man fitting his description had ridden a bicycle from Alaska, and when shown a picture of him confirms that he was a "carbon copy, but older".

Audience members asked if Dolphin and Robertson feared that Bax, who the RCMP have stated had a 70% chance of having committed suicide, might come for retribution. Robertson noted that since he'd evaded arrest for 30 years, it was unlikely that he would do something so foolish as it would probably lead to him being caught — but the chances of it happening are not zero. 

And now that the book is complete, she hopes that it brings some solace to the people who knew and loved Krystle. Having experienced their grief and pain firsthand, she has an intimate knowledge of the multi-decade implications of her killing.

"You really create a relationship with a person through studying them. There was a time interviewing her friends and family, that I would think 'I can't wait to interview her next'," she said.

"Then I realized that would never happen."

The Literary Goon

[lunarosewood23]

FFXIVWrite2022 Prompt 4: Memory (EXTRA CREDIT!!)

KIND OF 6.2 SPOILERS AHEAD!!!

Raven, while speaking to the denizens of Zero's domain, meets another former Memoriate.

Note: Alessia is a voidsent who has only consumed two souls in her existence, her husband, who was dying after his fortress fell in the Contra Memoria, and her sister, who gave her her soul and aether in order to survive a fight against Barbariccia before she became the Archfiend of Wind. This is what she looks like!

~~~

Raven couldn't believe that she found herself in front of a former Memoriate. She immediately offered the voidsent, a strange mix between a blackguard and a persona, a bit of her aether in exchange for a story of who she was before the Contra Memoria.

Right as she gave the voidsent her aether, her fire crystal began to glow, the light blinding to any who were nearby and Raven found herself staring not at a three-faced blackguard, but a beautiful Elezen woman with an elegant face and mismatched eyes.

"Just like with Floriano..." Raven mused, and she watched the woman's blue eye begin to glow.

"You know of my younger brother? Is he alright?" She asked, but the voice was deeper, more of a man's.

Her other eye began to glow as the other dimmed, this one a piercing moonlight, her voice more smooth, with a hint of sinisterness in it. "I'm more curious how this mortal has changed our Alessia back to herself, albeit still altered because of us."

"Alessia?" Raven asked.

The woman blinked, both of her eyes now calm. "My name. My name is Alessia. The man who spoke was my husband, Valentino. The other voice was Simona, my sister."

"You ate them?" Raven asked, shocked by the revelation.

Alessia looked down. "I didn't want to, but it was either I did or they would be eaten by another."

"She used to look more like you my dear." Simona spoke up, the moonlight eye glowing again. "Hair a dark purple, eyes a luminous amethyst. She was the gentler and more beautiful between the two of us in my opinion. But I digress. She took pieces of our appearances to preserve our memory. Much as I think she shouldn't have done so."

Raven frowned, she worried she’s causing more trouble for Alessia than she meant to. She bristled at Simona’s words however, and glowered.

“There is nothing wrong with preserving the memory of those you love, Simona, and I will not fault Alessia for such a wish.” She growled.

Alessia blinked as her moonlight eye stopped glowing and she smiled. “Simona is startled by your words, and nobody was ever brave enough to snap back at her. I take it you’ve done this as well?”

“Nothing so permanent like my eyes or hair, but the blue in my hair is close to my husband’s eyes, and I sometimes wear a more flattering shade of my brother’s favorite ugly grey lipstain when I wish to be more intimidating.” Raven replied with a smile. “It’s as if we carry those we love with us.”

Alessia smiled, her blue eye glowed as Valentino spoke. “I’m inclined to agree with her. Hmmm...Alessia, Simona, what say you?”

“Huh?” Raven asked, her head tilted in confusion.

“That’s quite a gamble Valentino. Are you certain?” Simona asked.

“I am, I think this woman and her friends might be the key to not just Alessia’s survival, but to change our fate.” Valentino replied.

Alessia sighed. “Val...”

She shook her head as the other two voices went quiet. “Valentino, Simona and I would make a pact with you Raven. In exchange for picking up my blade and aiding you in your efforts, we ask you to bring us back to your world so we can become stronger. Your world is rich with aether, based on intelligence I gained from other voidsent I fought with out of a need for survival, we can do our best to sustain ourselves based on that and we remember some of the old ways from before. While their presence is a comfort, they deep down wish to be of their own bodies, or if that can’t be possible, their souls must rest.”

It was an easy answer for Raven. “I believe we have a pact.”

Alessia smiled and raised her hand, conjuring a blade of flames.

The Burning Memory has reawakened.

#6.2 spoilers #ffxiv 6.2 spoilers #Endwalker spoilers #FFXIVWrite2022 #Raven Cross #(Raven Cross-Fortemps) #Alessia #I MIGHT be playing with ideas about who Raven's 13th shard might've been #Along with some of her loved ones

[farahsamboolents]

NANCY WHEELER CHARACTER RANT (rant is used in a positive way) WHO’S IN

so I was talking to my mum about how much i love media analysis because, when you think about it, the stories people tell say SO MUCH about the world around them

(for instance, in the 1980s during the height of the AIDS crisis, a lot of vampire horror movies were released. i’ll let you draw your own blood-borne conclusions from that)

(side note, as a queer latina nerd -- specifically a salvadoreña -- the 1980s were a pretty pivotal time for my life today, even though i didn’t exist yet. this is a big part of why i like stranger things.)

and because we were discussing media and how that reflects on the world, i mentioned the fanfiction that i write (which my mum knows about, mostly in a “this will help my original fiction!” way, just to get her to understand it), i said “the problem with writing existing characters is that you can’t always get in their head, because even if you love them, you can’t relate to them!”

and then i explained that, i LOVE nancy wheeler, BUT. nancy is very headstrong, she’s very smart and she KNOWS it, and she’s very goal oriented, even if that means stepping on other people’s toes. and it’s not necessarily a DELIBERATE stepping on people’s toes, it’s just “this is my goal, this thing is in the way of my goal, therefore, this thing does not matter”.

(example: in season three, she’s constantly opening the door to the darkroom where Jonathan is developing his photos, and visibly rolls her eyes when he’s upset that she ruined his photos)

and then my mum said, “really! that’s why i like nancy so much!”

what???

and she said, “because i was just like that when i was her age. i wouldn’t have gotten to where i was if i wasn’t like her.”

and that threw me off. i’m very lucky to be in a place where if i’m polite enough and clever enough, i get my way. but writing is about putting yourself in other people’s shoes.

my mum left a civil war to come to canada, and was told that all she would ever be was a fucking maid, despite her university degree. and she said FUUUUCK that (well, no she didn’t, she honestly didn’t start swearing til i was old enough to start swearing cuz i was in high school, but the sentiment stands) (she didn't love the swearing but i guess i get my stubborn streak from somewhere and i wore her down), and she stubborn’d her way through a canadian university degree, stubborn’d her way through a white male canadian workforce, and eventually, stubborn’d her way into being a partial owner of a successful company.

and here i am, reaping the benefits, because my badass mom wasn’t afraid to step on toes to say “HEY, I DESERVE THIS.”

and this whole time i was stuck because the thing is (and forgive me if this sounds real high horse-ish) as a writer, you're supposed to get into other people's heads, and think about the consequences for everyone involved. and i can write a character with zero empathy pretty easily, i just shut off all those mental doors about everyone else until i'm writing through someone else's head.

but i couldn't get through or connect to a character who IS loving and kind and empathetic BUT still gets that tunnel vision when she knows she's right. until it was pointed out to me that nancy feels like she can't afford to care about the little things, or to stray from her goal; for nancy, compromise equals failure, and losing everything she worked for.

and sure, would she still have succeeded if she was just a little bit kinder, or a little bit more understanding? yep. but as a sixteen year old who has already lost so much, does she know that? nope. she doesn't get to watch herself on TV and compare all the plotlines and background information together, she just knows that when she's ruthless, she survives, and so do her friends and family.

#nancy wheeler #stranger things #thank u for coming to my tedtalk lol #this is basically me working through why i didn't GET nancy until suddenly i did #amboolents originals #amboolents idea

[alfvenwave]

THOUGHTS/CRITICISMS ON AITSF NIRVANA INITIATIVE (SPOILER HEAVY FOR BOTH GAMES)

Okay so fair to say after just finishing aini last night, I am not the biggest fan and I think that so far, it’s my least favorite Uchikoshi game I’ve played (yes that is including ZTD).

While I think there’s a bunch of things in this game that I do like, it doesn’t make up for the…everything else. Idk I just don’t feel like acting like I really enjoyed this game just ‘cause I am generally a fan of Uchikoshi’s work, I think it’s good to admit and talk about why certain things in a creators work that you generally enjoy didn’t land for you (feel free to share your own thoughts btw, I’m very curious to hear what other people think!!)

Anyway, here is a list of things I have issues with (I’ll also get into things that I did like because it’s not like playing this game was a wholly negative experience and I don’t want it to seem that way).

·      Lien & Kizuna; I think the start for their “relationship” is legitimately one of thee worst written things not just in this game but in all of aitsf & zero escape. The way Lien acts towards her, especially with the age difference, would be a horror scenario if this had any realism to it. He basically stalks her, I recall the way he talks to her in the beginning verging on lovebombing quite a bit, he gives her an expensive gift, doesn’t accept her initial rejection of him and just keeps holding on (this trope will never be romantic ever, can every writer ever please get this through their skulls). To me him sticking around and being her friend for a 6-year period very much feels like grooming behaviour. Taking into account Kizuna becoming physically disabled and now feeling like she’s not good enough for him and wanting his validation...yikes.

Genuinely if their relationship had started of differently, if the age gap was smaller I think I would’ve really liked their thing, especially with the message of her not being a burden for becoming disabled and still being loved fully for who she is and someone choosing to be by her side because they genuinely love her and everything about her and that’s a potentially very beautiful message, it’s just the setup that ruins it for me :/

·      Kizuna (and also in a way Amame but I’ll get into that next) as a character does very little for me. She (and Amame) feels very much as this game’s Iris in character type and…listen, Iris to me was one of the least compelling characters to me in aitsf just because for me she felt very much like characters I’ve seen before. So, to have two characters that are basically Iris but just slightly different, it’s just boring to me I guess, nor does it feel like especially good writing. Kizuna her song as well is just nowhere near as fun and charismatic as Iris’ (@ YOU WILL NEVER BE INVINCIBLE RAINBOW ARROW, YOU WISH, YOU FUCKING WISH YOU WERE HER).

And then on her as a disabled character, let me know if I’m overstepping because I’m not physically disabled myself, but I feel like she’s very likely not all that relatable to the average disabled person? It’s not that she has to be ofc, but if there’s anything I’ve seen from the disabled people I follow online that talk about the issues they face being a disabled person in this society, two mayor things are inaccessibility and financial issues. Being disabled and needing support and mobility aids cost a fuck ton of money, getting any sort of financial support tends to be full of unnecessarily complicated hurdles and finding and keeping employment is many times more difficult than it is for an able-bodied person. Kizuna however (and good for her) doesn’t have to deal with any of that on account of being the daughter of an extremely rich man.

·      Then Amame, I feel for how important she is in the end, we spend very little time with her during the game, way less than Kizuna. We also get very little interaction between her and Iris which is unfortunate imo, ‘cause I think a lot of people were looking forward to the two of them.

·      This is mostly personal preference but, the constant nicknames are annoying as fuck to me

·      Another thing, especially after 2020 I’ve been having a harder and harder time engaging with stories that have cop protagonists without feeling some inner turmoil about it. Aitsf very much acknowledges the corruption of the police, Aini even more so, but it never really takes it anywhere. And yes, I know this is Japan not America, but especially with the interview in the art booklet mentioning them originally having an idea for the game taking place partially in Tokyo, partially in America, it all feels very questionable? to me. Especially when at some point it gets revealed Ryuki shot at a civilian, at that point I felt very much after everything happening, I really did not want to sympathize with him anymore!!! It made me feel gross and it felt insensitive to write it like that when it very much did not need to happen? You could’ve shown his instability peaking in different ways.

But yeah, seeing everyone treating Ryuki as the blorbo du jour after that feels very…inappropriate.

·      Continuing on with Ryuki I feel like his mental illness is handled not that great? It feels to me that besides an initial diagnosis of a symptom of a mental illness (cognitive dysfunction can be a symptom of MDD, BD and schizophrenia), it never goes anywhere (not that he needs a conclusive diagnosis or anything, but I think a protag with canon bipolar or schizophrenia would be nice considering how stigmatized especially the latter is). He weirdly never gets assigned a counselor or sent to therapy even though multiple other characters are mentioned to get counselling, and he never explicitly says he doesn’t ever want professional help?

·      Jin; Jin as the first victim had very little impact for me since we know nothing about him and we get very little information about him for a very long time in the game.

·      Gen’s feelings for Amame turning out to be romantic and it apparently being reciprocated after we’ve already had the “she’s like a daughter to me” conversation which then turned out to not be true and us not knowing Gen’s age while he’s still very clear an adult man. Not to mention it’s very likely he knew Amame before she turned 18, since the characters have been going to brahman quite often before the start of the game. I genuinely hate it so much this game has not one but two cases of adult man falls in love with teenage girl and this is presented as completely fine and a positive thing. It makes a huge chunk of the game something I want no investment in where I’m actively rooting for it to not turn out the way it’s clearly going to turn out.

(sidebar, I feel weird about using the x-ray to figure out he has a facial deformity, it feels like a breach of privacy)

·      The twist of Mizuki being adopted after the initial shock wears of feels unnecessary and like it goes against the very point Aitsf was trying to make about birth family not necessarily being better. Would love to have known why it is Shoko and Renju decided to adopt, but like a bunch of other things this game doesn’t elaborate on that unfortunately. There very much is a lot of trauma going on often for adoptees and it would’ve been interesting to see Mizuki idk realize that that’s whats going on? I don’t know if that last point made sense.

·      Order of % never gets elaborated on, would’ve loved to know more about what was going on there. Maybe if we ever get a third game we will. Writing all of this down I realize one of my main issues is that there’s a bunch of things the game could’ve delved deeper into but they either didn’t want to or didn’t have the budget.

·      Date’s face, literally the only reason why he has the Saito face again is for the new players. @ Spike Chunsoft stop forcing Uchikoshi to make his sequels playable for new people!!! Something something capitalism is the real evil.

·      Tying into that, the prototype Psync machine being used, but it being ignored that your eyeball needs to be taken out to use it. And tbf if you’re a new player not familiar with aitsf I think this might actually feel very deus ex machina

·      Probably very petty but game needed more Pewter content, sorry but if I must put up with Lien, I deserve at least some more scenes with my silly little science man. Still sad we never got a scene with him and Mizuki talking about Renju :/.

·      Minor thing but Lien referring to his friend Quartz constantly with they/them pronouns but then when it gets revealed who Quartz is, the character defaults to she/her, says she doesn’t like that name at all and is presumably cis. I was just really hoping for a casual nonbinary character.

·      There’s a goddamn Harry Potter reference

Okay I think that’s most of it, now for things I did like!!

·      The gameplay and especially the Somnia were very much improved, I also really liked the WinkPsync mechanic (though the rules on that one are a bit…). Amame’s somnia especially were really well done, but I also really loved Tokiko’s and Tearers. They all felt very fitting to the characters themselves.

·      Ryuki and Tama as a duo I genuinely enjoyed way more than I thought I would. They’re besties, they’re bi4bi, they’re swag4cringe.

·      I like that Boss and Pewter seem to have a sort of friendship going on :)

·      Ryuki’s one-sided crush on Date was also a very big brain writing choice

·      I do really appreciate the theme of people being worthy of love regardless of sexuality, disability etc.

·      I also think this game handles disability far better than any of Uchikoshi’s previous work. Not saying it’s perfect but it’s way better than some of the ableism that we’ve seen before.

·      Ngl, I love Iris’ 24 yr old design I think it’s so cute and I wish we would’ve gotten to see more of her

·      The escape room somnium that was just a huge zero escape reference, I really missed puzzles like that and I greatly enjoyed that part.

·      PEWTER GETS INCLUDED IN THE FINAL DANCING SCENE; I FEEL SO VINDICATED IN THIS THANK YOU SO MUCH. Also, glad they payed attention to making Hitomi’s right arm not move this time, it’s a small detail but it matters <3

·      ALSO, I WAS RIGHT ABOUT BOSS GETTING HIM OUT OF JAIL ASAP AFTER THE TRUE ENDING ‘CAUSE THEY NEED HIM TO KEEP THE MACHINES RUNNING, FUCK EVERYONE WHO IMPLIED THAT WAS TOO MUCH OF WISHFUL THINKING. MY BRAIN IS BIG AND MY ASS IS FAT.

·      Kizuna with the gatling gun at the end, iconic, showstopping, spectacular, almost made me reconsider my entire opinion of her character.

Maybe if I think of more I will update this but I’ve been spending too much time already typing all this up and its getting very long, if you’ve read everything up till this point, thank u very much it is greatly appreciated <3

#pewter.aini #aini spoilers #aitsf spoilers #none of this is saying you can't like the game btw this is very much personal opinions

[ofbluesandyellows]

Ten: Jitterbug Love - Eddie Munson/Reader

Warnings: alcohol, guns and swearing

Word count: 6,645

a/n: this is a special chapter... here’s Eddie’s POV hope you enjoy it :)

Previous chapter

Eddie was pacing around his room, the floor could dent at any second of how much he had been walking on the same five meter long room, all in a straight line back and forth. It had been two days, and no one had given him any information about where the hell were you.

He tried calling at your aunt’s place just for your uncle to tell him he couldn’t give any information to someone he didn’t know, to which Eddie had to pinch the bridge of his nose extra hard to not smash the phone on the floor.

He tried Dustin, but the kid took promises pretty seriously and he was still clearly upset about Eddie dating Chrissy.

“I didn’t plan things to go that way!” Eddie repeated for the fourth time as they were picking up their stuff from the last summer campaign session.

“Why are you telling me this? I’m not the one you should be whining and telling this to. Seriously, grow a pair Eddie.” Dustin grunted and left the room. Jeff snorted, but got quickly smacked on the head by Gareth.

Since you left Eddie’s jacket, Eddie had been in the worst of moods, always complaining and finding zero time to play with the band. To be honest he had been moody way before that but he was not ready to admit it.

His friends were worried about him, he spent time either alone or with Chrissy and they didn’t like her much, because she always wanted to be alone with him, as if he was some secret to keep, yet neither dared to say or ask about it. Instead they just tried to distract him.

It didn’t work.

Eddie was beyond desperate, he picked on the skin of his fingers a little too much, he had to put a band-aid around his thumb after he almost peeled the skin out of it. He tried to call just one more time at your place, no one picked the phone, later he went to see Robin and Steve but they weren’t there either. Keith almost called the police when Eddie thought he had heard your voice in his office, pushing Keith a little too harshly to pass through. His mind was playing tricks on him and that was bad enough.

But not as bad as when he decided to show up at your aunt’s house, he had probably a little too many beers in a very short amount of time. His van parked right where he always parked it whenever he visited you, the stereo was so loud it made the windows rattle with the threat of breaking. He didn’t care. These days he cared about very little anyway.

Love Hurts was making it all more dramatic than needed, however Eddie felt like maybe this was the most romantic shit he’s ever done for anyone, ever.

It started slow, with little twigs and small pebbles hitting the window of your room until maybe he threw one with too much force—it took him more tries to aim now that he was tipsy and wobbling around the front yard—the smash off glass was clear and loud.

He froze in place, but nothing happened.

“What the fuck!” he whined, he felt tears burning in his eyes, “Y/n come on! I am so sorry, please talk to me!”

Stillness.

“Y/N!!!!” This time Eddie was not going to ask nicely, he was shouting to the shattered window where he had seen you before in PJs as ABBA played, “I WANNA TALK TO YOU, PLEASE JUST GIVE ME A MINUTE OF YOUR PRECIOUS TIME YOU PRECIOUS LITTLE LADY! I PROMISE IF YOU DO I’LL FUCK OFF RIGHT AFTER, JUST PLEASE DON’T LEAVE ME HERE, LOOK I EVEN CAME TO SERENADE YOU!”

Had to Fall in Love played now, he kicked the grass as he waited for a reply, one that didn’t come. The song playing made him feel more miserable, the fact that he somehow had that song in his mixtape should’ve been enough for you to come down running to his arms, because Eddie would never listen to that willingly, too mushy, too sad. He kind of liked it now, he got it.

“I LOVE YOU OKAY! I KNOW YOU PROBABLY DON’T WANT TO SEE ME RIGHT NOW BUT I PROMISE YOU I—I DIDN’T MEANT TO HURT YOU… SHIT SHIIIIIIITTTT!!”

The light of the house turned on, Eddie’s heart accelerated and he felt the tears falling hot on his face, he whipped them fast with his dirt covered hands. The door opened into what felt like a slow motion scene, he was almost running to see you at the doorway, instead there he was, your uncle.

With a shotgun?

“Hey kid, you better get the fuck away from my property! She is not here and stop fucking yelling we are trying to sleep, we have neighbors.”

“Oh, shit sorry sir, yeah I’m gonna—“ Eddie tried to walk backwards, he felt a shiver run down his spine when he saw the man pointing the shotgun at him. Eddie fell on his bum, and crawled away. “Fuck, please don’t shoot, I— didn’t know…”

“Just get the fuck out, the cops are no the way.”

Eddie nodded eagerly, feeling his stomach twist. Oh he was about to be sick but it’d be a mistake to do it in front of your uncle’s house.

“Sorry, Mr. Johnson, won’t happen again.” He ran to his van, the keys clinking around, falling on his lap, he couldn’t even find where the ignition was.

“Stop embarrassing yourself, kid. Get a damn job!”

The ignition started and Eddie drove away from your crazy uncle. Eddie never drove so fast in his life, he almost crashed into some trash cans right after he looked over his shoulder to see if there were really cops coming or if your uncle was insane enough to follow him down the road, neither happened. A sigh escaped him, he was having heart palpitations and felt like he could just turn into a ball and cry until he felt like he needed to rehydrate himself to cry once again.

His trailer was empty, his own uncle probably out with his drunken friends or working. Eddie didn’t care, he felt like trash. He sat on his bed, the heels of his hands on his eyes making pressure to stop the tears from coming, he had done nothing but embarrass his ass, he felt so pathetic and hopeless. What was he going to do now? You didn’t want to see him, you had sent your uncle with a damn shotgun to scare the shit out of him. This was not how things were supposed to happen for him, for you.

But in the first place he didn’t expect any of it to happen, yet you came and decided to charm him with your laugh and the way you always paid attention to what he said and didn’t feel intimidated by him or the way he looked, the music he liked, it felt good. With Chrissy it went from buying him weed to finally remembering they had interacted in the past and still things felt like they were going nowhere between the two.

Eddie was torn between the two girls, even when deep down he knew the answer.

The next day, as he tried to manage the monstrous hangover and the pounding headache, Eddie decided to grow a pair as Dustin had said, he sighed and slammed the door of his van extra hard, it took him a second to acknowledge he was fixing his hair, as if someone cared about his appearance. Grimacing and all he walked straight to Family Video where a very bored Robin met him. She was painting her nails on the main desk, she almost dropped the tinny bottle over the surface.

“Easy there, it’s just me.” He said, giving her a lipped smile, that was the best he could do. “Where’s Harrington?”

“Lunch.” She simply pointed to the back door of the establishment.

“Ok, good. I need to have a word with you, Buckley, and I want the truth in exchange for my own version of the events of last weekend.”

He clasped his hands together, the rings clinking as they collided with each other. Robin squinted, Eddie felt that if he didn’t get the girl to talk he was doomed to live drowning in the uncertainty of how things had gone from good into a swoop of wrongness with you.

“Okay.” She took her time to close the bottle of nail polish, take a sip of her drink and finally looked him directly in the eye. “You know this already, but you, my friend, fucked up big time.”

Oh he knew, “It went out of my hands. Like, imagine this… you have two beautiful girls paying attention to you, one you’ve had a crush on for years and the other just happened to… magically arrive! It was unexpected and I already had this thing with Chrissy, like it wasn’t going anywhere but Y/n gave me the push and I was like ‘yeah I should try this with Chrissy because there’s no way y/n feels anything for me’ like come on! I have zero chances. I know when to be realistic, Buckley!” Eddie scoffed, “yet…here we are…who would’ve thought! I’m the luckiest bastard in the fucking planet, and then I got to spend more time with y/n and she was—she is the coolest girl ever—ok listen, yeah I did her wrong but I want to fix it… but I need to talk to her and I know you know where she is, because it’s been a  fucking week Robin! And I haven’t got any information and it’s driving me insane, as in I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it, about her. Can’t even play guitar, it’s killing me slowly.” he was begging, he never begged for anything in his life before.

“Jesus, Eddie you need to chill man. She is not here.” This could’ve been probably enough but, it was the way Robin was nibbling at her lip and the way she was fidgeting with her vest, it gave him a bad impression, “She's gone.”

“Uh, what do you mean, gone?” he kind of chuckled, he was feeling like his soul was being sucked out of his body.

“She went back to New York, that’s why she gave you back your jacket, to close the cycle.”

Eddie felt his stomach drop, how was that he became the unluckiest dude in the world, he must have guessed the curse was still on him right after that one summer when he was fighting bats and almost died in battle.

Both of his hands went flying to his head, he grunted and then his palms slammed the counter, “So you are telling me that I won’t be able to apologize to her, because she simply left.”

Robin’s eyes were wide, she was shocked at his reaction.

“Fuck me!” Eddie yelled.

Nothing could stop him from storming out of the store, he drove away with the music as loud as his old stereo allowed him, which was loud enough to make people turn their heads. He honked in exasperation to pedestrians, turned the curves a little too harshly making the van lean a little on each steering-wheel manhandle.

After a quick stop to get his stash of weed of the week, he went straight to his trailer, his room was pitch black the only light coming from under the door and the joint when he sucked from it forming a little halo of orange as it consumed. The music was one of the tapes he had taken from Dustin. It reminded him of your music taste, indie and kinda lacking power but he didn’t mind much, he was trying to come up with something to make things better, he had come to terms that this was to bring peace with his mind not so you could forgive him.

Of course he wanted you to forgive him and to kiss him again and play with his hair because, hell! He was certain no other girl made his whole body buzz the way it did when you two were high on the carpet, and your hands were brushing his hair in such a light way and he felt like he could implode there.

So now he needed redemption, it was his hero complex probably, he needed to be on the right side of history because he was not going to give up on your friendship just because he had fucked everything up for being a stupid boy.

Girls on Film started and his mind went flowing with the rhythm, this was something Steve would listen to. Dustin was practically the reflection of all his friends, he liked a bit of everything and he could get away with it, not Eddie, though. In that very moment his mind was lighter so he let it all pass through him, and then when his brain was less stressed and his hands stopped picking at the skin of his lips he had the idea, the brightest of them all.

He called for an S.O.S meeting. They had all agreed to just demand these kinds of emergency calls when they were in an emergency of course. Which Eddie found totally appropriate.

Not surprising when Steve Harrington didn’t see the situation as critical as Eddie did, Steve kept on complaining.

“I said these calls were only meant for life or death situations, not romantic struggles. Come on guys, keep up, we can’t continue with this.” Steve clapped, exasperated.

“Y/n first, now you. Yeah, totally deserve each other.” Robin plopped on the grass outside Eddie’s trailer.

“Wait, she called for an emergency meeting too? Was it about me?” He couldn’t help his heart to accelerate at the thought of it.

“Whatever, Munson. What’s the problem? We have work.” Steve said already tired.

The teens arrived just in time, letting their bikes fall on the grass with a thud. And that’s when Eddie spoke about giving you a mixtape, he said he could play a few songs… ones he had written with your face in mind, with your voice replaying nonstop in his brain as he came up with the right words and the correct chords.

Mike and Dustin cringed at the idea while Robin was grinning and nodding because she knew you better than anyone there so she would know what you would enjoy more. But no, it was Max the one who pointed out that it was too cheesy and that you only needed an apology, not a full concert.

It took Eddie a full month to find the perfect songs for the mix, he wasted around seven cassettes not because he couldn’t re-record them but because he got frustrated and would throw the tapes across the room in a fit of stress. When the songs were picked, he took an extra week to arrange the songs in the perfect order, the curation of it served him almost as therapy, that, and a couple of joints to ease the anxiousness. His mind got cleared, almost like an epiphany, he needed to talk to Chrissy.

He had avoided Chrissy for a few weeks now, which was another dick move from his part.

Chrissy was popular he had this in the back of his mind whenever they saw each other, but Eddie deep down thought she didn’t care much for that, not after all the Vecna stuff that had happened, he kind of got blinded by the idea of being with her that he didn’t noticed much besides being with her, but that night when he went to talk to her, at a party at a friends house, Eddie was not invited, Chrissy never said anything to him about it either, he didn’t ask questions this was the least of his problems, his mind had been working on other things.

It hurt him to be looked at as the freak, he had worked on it for so long he seemed to be unaffected, however the whispering and the glances made his hands twitch, and his jaw clench.

Eddie found Chrissy surrounded by people, he waved a hand at her, she looked a bit taken aback by his presence there, so she told her friends something, some of them grimaced and others rolled their eyes. She made a hand gesture for him to follow her somewhere. They found themselves in the garage of the house of who knows who.

He gulped feeling the uneasiness in his back, he needed to do this. And he did.

“I’m so sorry, I know I haven’t been what you expected me to be.” Chrissy looked hurt when he explained how he felt about her, about you.

“I should’ve known, some people told me this was not smart, but… I guess it felt right, in the moment.” She sighed. “Either way I guess we were not destined for more than a summer fling, I’m moving away for college,” Chrissy half shrugged, embarrased.

“You are? Why didn't you tell me? When? Where?” Eddie felt a little betrayed for keeping him in the dark about such important matters, even when he had no right to it.

Chrissy scoffed, “you never asked and we haven’t been talking much, haven’t we?”

“Right, sorry. You’re correct, I’ve been an idiot lately.”

“It’s fine, I was not doing much either.”

“I’m really sorry for wasting your time, Chrissy.”

She gave him a lipped smile, “me too, but it was fun. Just keep on being you, okay?  Don’t let anyone take that from you” She kissed him on the cheek, “And good luck!”

She patted him on the chest, Eddie felt his cheeks warm up, a light chuckle came out of his lips, “good luck in college.”

Chrissy grinned and walked away. He sighed, hands on his hips, something released from his chest as he watched her join her friends, one last look got shared between the two. He left the party with the sensation of freedom. Things were finding their place now.

☼

Soon as Halloween arrived, his band got booked for a few gigs Eddie had to put on hold the whole recording tape thing—it was in one of these concerts where Corroded Coffin met the manager of a band, which happened to just have signed a record deal with said Californian band and was about to start their tour in February, things were moving fast in that area of his life. Eddie spent the night celebrating with the band when they got offered a deal for a tour in the north of the country.

Eddie was too happy, for once he felt happy, still all he wanted to do was call you and tell you all about it, a sad smile appeared over his lips as he sipped from the bottle of his beer, Jeff was passed out on the couch of the small room they rented to spend the night in Illinois. His biggest dream was coming true, not to mention all the attention they were getting from girls, who had been approaching the boys the minute they got off stage, but once again Eddie couldn’t find the will to flirt.

He had things to arrange and his heart belonged to someone else. Eddie could pretend, but it was like betraying his heart, he was longing for something more and that something was you.

The making of the studio was the longest process ever, it wasn’t even just for the band’s single, Eddie had other plans for it, yes it would’ve been easier to get a damn recorder for it but Dustin wanted to put his skills at task, and who was Eddie to stop the boy.

Mid-November hit when Dustin was finishing arranging the studio for the tape recording with the help of his friends and then there he was, Eddie speaking to the wall on Jeff’s garage, he wasn’t sure if he was saying the proper things or if he even apologized he just let himself be and the words left him, not thinking much of the outcome, he wanted you to know he cared for you more than anything, that you were special that you meant a lot, that you had come to his life to change him, even when neither of you were aware of it.

When he gave the cassette to Robin, Eddie felt that some part of his heart had been given away, he felt vulnerable and nothing would guarantee him that you would listen to it the same day it arrived or a day later or never, he just hoped the cassette would find you in a moment where you could listen to it and not judge him for what he did but for the person he was when he had recorded those words.

It was one thing to act tough around idiots at school. They were afraid of different , that, became Eddie’s strength. He was different and he was okay with it, but with you, he found that what could show you how strong he was, was speaking of how he really felt and why he had done what he did. Honesty and vulnerability.

It was hard to believe that he could pull off dating someone like Chrissy at least for a few weeks but it was beyond him how by being himself you fell for him just as hard as he had fallen for you.

Eddie’s body felt like it could finally rest, as if someone had taken some heavy weight off of his shoulders.

☼

Christmas day was usually a day just like any other, with cold air coming in thought from under the doors, the tiny cracks and crevices inside Eddie’s tiny trailer, but that day, his definition of Christmas changed drastically.

When he went out to try and get the amplifier he had left in his van two days ago, he noticed the bright blue paper package shining on the side of his doorstep. It was very late, he wasn't sure when or how that appeared there, with half a shrug he took it. The package wasn’t too heavy but heavy enough to know it was not some coupons Robin or Steve would give him for Christmas, and it definitely wasn’t a present from his uncle.

Eddie put the amplifier in the living room, his uncle was sound asleep there. Eddie went to his room and shut the door carefully. He had to shake the pretty shiny package just to check if it wasn’t just a joke, the package rattled, which was even more odd. He furrowed his eyebrows, starting to rip it open. A small box showed first, it was plastic but it was pretty, probably one of the prettiest things he owned.

He took the lid off, and his jaw practically hit the floor. A small note was under the chain.

Merry Christmas Eddie.

P.S: It’s the most Eddie Munson thing in the world, please do us all a favor and wear it.

With love,

Y/n

His hands started to tremble, a lump in his throat forming, he didn’t know why he felt like fucking crying over a chain made of small cute skulls.

“Fucking hell!” He mumbled, the grin and watery eyes was a special scene to witness, definitely one for the books. If only you were there to see how Eddie jumped off the bed and attached the chain to his jeans, it hung from the belt hops on his left hip.

He sniffed, and laughed lightly. How was that you managed to make him beam and cry all at once? This was definitely the most beautiful and precious thing he owned and oh he loved his guitar a little too much but this new addition had reached god tier level of beauty. They would have to bury him with that chain. He knew that much.

For New Year’s, they were at Steve’s house, a small gathering that started to turn into a big party. Corroded Coffin played and Steve let him crash with the teens and Robin in his room. Eddie kept silent when they were all reunited in Steve’s room to play Lucas’ tape.

The Promise by When In Rome started to play right at eleven with fifty-seven minutes and thirty-seconds. Everyone was laughing and smiling as the music blasted from Steve’s stereo set, it was all about friendship, after everything, Lucas’ song choice was spot on; they were all there for each other, no matter what.

You were on the phone on speaker mode as the song kept on going and everyone was speaking over each other, even when Eddie knew that you knew he was there, he didn’t attempt to say something, not even when the clock streaked twelve and everyone hugged, he saw Robin sneak out of the room, probably to look for Vickie.

Personally, Eddie wished for a year where he could see you at least one more time. A year where his band was successful enough to allow him to fix his van, a year without uncertainties, a happy year, an easy one, a year where you could bring that magazine into a reality. Because yes Nancy had talked about it a little too much and Eddie always smirked when he heard any new detail about it.

Corroded Coffin went into their first tour, it started slow but slowly they started to perform in bigger venues, crowded places, and even people started to sing back to their songs, ones that were dedicated to someone special. And between their new dates and their upcoming shows they took a few days off, Hawkins waiting, never changing.

Eddie must have done something right in those days, because the phone rang loudly, interrupting his writing session. The trailer’s ceiling had a thick layer of smoke floating but Eddie knew his way around that place with closed eyes.

“Hello?” Smoke came out of his lips as he said the word.

A moment of silence later, he was ready to hang up, he was tired of those jokes.

“Hi Eddie,���

Smoke or saliva got stuck midway his throat, Eddie was practically choking, this had to be a dream, he thought as he clenched his black shirt right over his chest trying to gain some control over the cough and the shock and what the fuck .

“You okay?” he couldn’t believe it was your voice, the one he was hearing through the line.

“Y/n? Is it really you?” Eddie said between coughs. The joint in his fingers got smashed under his shoes. “fuck me!” he squealed.

You lightly chuckled, it caused his whole body to come to life, dammit he had missed your laugh, “yes it’s me… um…. hi.”

“Hi, hi, hello. Wow I was not expecting this at all, wow. Uh how are you?”

“I’m good… working hard, sleeping very little but I’m okay… what about you? How are things?”

He was not sure how you sounded so damn chill, he was shitting his pants, hands sweating too much, his cheeks were hurting from smiling. “Great, really good. Now I’m even better because you called. Hell, I think this is the best day of my life.” He sighed, grabbing the side of his face, he was truly in disbelief.

“It took me a while to put on my big girl pants, but… anyway… I’m happy to hear you are doing well.”

Eddie’s heart was racing against his rib cage, hands over it feeling it jump wildly. His mind in a haze, he just wanted to hear you talk for the rest of his life, “I am, and I hear you are doing pretty good with that magazine of yours.” He giggled, literally like a little girl’s giggle, his cheeks felt hot, “Can't wait to read it.” He tried to put his voice in a deeper tone.

He heard you snort, “Ow, yeah, the girls over there are working extra hard, I’m just doing the editing aspect of it, nothing much.”

“Please, y/n, not with the self deprecating again, we’ve gone through this already.” You laughed, Eddie grinned bigger—if possible.

“Right, no, that’s true, well, I was actually calling for that.”

“For the self deprecating thing?”

You laughed again. Eddie got just the reaction he wanted from his comment, “no, for the magazine, dumbass.”

“Oh,” he tugged at his lower lip, “okay, I’m listening missy.”

“Remember that conversation we had?”

“I remember all of our conversations.”

Silence.

“Okay then, the one where… you promised me a Corroded Coffin interview.”

“Um no, I don’t remember that one.” He smirked, waiting for your reaction.

“Munson, be serious right now.”

He laughed lightly, the back of his head hit the wall he was leaning on, he hated when you called him Munson and not Eddie, but he let it pass because he was in no position to ask for kindness.

“I’m joking, of course I do,”

“So that’s still on?”

His belly fluttered, “for you, anything.”

Silence.

Eddie could imagine you sitting on your bed, anywhere really, you biting the inside of your cheek, with shiny eyes and rosy cheeks, looking at him. He being unable to keep his eyes away from your face—

“Uh, sorry what was that?” he shook his head, he had lost himself in daydreams. Very typical lately.

“I said that we should arrange a phone call for the interview, I have a few questions but I still need to prepare for it… or I can ask Nance to interview you, that’d be more convenient—“

“No, no I’m free, whenever you want I’m ready, just say when.”

Eddie wasn’t smooth when it came to girls, he never was but with you he felt like the most stupid boy in the world, trying to do anything to impress you to keep your attention in him. Like now, he was willing to stop the tour just so you could have a twenty minute conversation with him.

“What if we do it after spring break? So I can have enough time to prepare everything, and I can ask Jonathan to take a few photos of you and the band… is that good for you?”

“Yeah, absolutely.”

His stomach dropped, this was a mere business call. Eddie wanted to say a lot but the chances of making everything worse were higher than the ones where he made things better. He closed his eyes, listening to your breathing, he didn’t want the call to end.

“Did you—did you get the cassette?” He winced at his own voice.

“I did… thank you, It was nice to hear that you polished your music taste a little.”

Your soft chuckle didn’t miss Eddie’s ears, “I got your chain too… very bold choice, but a correct one. I’ve been wearing it since I got it, so thank you .”

“I have listened to your mixtape almost everyday since I first got it so… I guess we are even.”

Eddie clutched his chest, eyes still closed, the way his whole body felt, like it could burst into tiny sparkly specks, just by how intense he felt the sentiment of love towards you.

“As I said, I’d do anything for you, even listening to ABBA’s whole discography.”

“Please we both know you love them, don’t try to blame me.”

He laughed, “I guess we do crazy shit for love don’t we?”

“I guess so…”

“Y/n… I’m really sorry about—you know… everything.” Eddie said so softly he was afraid you hadn’t heard him, “what I said on the tape was all true—“

“I know, Munson… I just, can we talk about this another time? I have to go, now. I’ll call you a day or two before the interview, okay?”

“Y/n, please let’s—“

“I’m sorry… bye.”

The line died, and so did Eddie’s will to write, to breathe, to live.

He scared you, he risked everything for nothing.

His back rested on the wall for a moment then he slid down plopping on the floor, his head hit his knees, he grabbed his hair in his hands, fists tugging at it out of frustration.

“FUCK!” he screamed loud enough to hurt his throat.

☼

There were rumors, ones coming from Dustin and Mike. Something about a trip to New York. It didn’t matter much to Eddie until he heard your name being thrown in the conversation involving that trip. That’s when he decided he had to convince them to spill all the beans about this New York secret plan. The trip was a long one but they had no option, there was no way they were denying this to Eddie. It was the last chance he had.

That’s how he found himself driving his van with Dustin, Lucas, Mike and Will on his refurbished  car back seats. Steve, Robin, Max and El were in the fine Mercedes a few meters ahead of him. It was beyond crazy how they had forced him to wake up at four in the morning to hit the road, yes he was excited however the idea of having a few more hours of sleep didn’t sound bad at all, specially when he hadn’t had much time to do so thinking about seeing your pretty face again.

Almost twelve hours of driving later, they crashed into a motel, three rooms got paid by Steve and the kids little money–they didn’t accept a no for answer– while Eddie and Robin put more gas into the tanks and gathered some food for the gang.

He was not going to complain about the little hours of sleep he got, having Dustin and Mike chatting in his room non-stop along with how he was starting to feel that fluttery sensation bubbling up to his chest was enough to keep the sleepiness at bay. As the morning crept through the sky painting it green and pastel blue all over it with a thin line of yellow showing the path of the rising sun. Eddie took a quick shower, and darted outside to get his first cigarette of the day, Eddie knew it was a bad habit but he was nervous as fuck and who could blame him.

Eddie was taking a drag of his smoke, his mind lost in what if’s.

“Hey, you are up early.”

Eddie lightly choked, “Harrington you fucking scared me,” he said between coughs.

“Shit, sorry.” He put his hands in the air, then lightly brushed his hair to the side, a classic Harrington move. “Couldn’t sleep or what?”

It was the way Steve looked at Eddie with that wry smile, and the nudge he gave Eddie that made him finally laugh, “am I that obvious?”

Steve shrugged, “I’d be if I were about to see the girl I like… things are going to be fine, she likes you and if things end up going sideways, you still have us.”

“How comforting, really you shouldn’t have.” Eddie scoffed.

Steve shot him a glare, “Come on man, we are a great team, even if I acted… kinda bad towards you the last couple of months, I think you are all right… I guess.”

“We’ve done this before Harrington, no need to apologize, we are good.” Eddie patted Steve on the back once, then offered him his cigarette.

“Nah I’m good… but can you um, promise me one thing.” Steve crossed his arms over his chest, leaning on one foot to the other.

“Yeah.”

“I know you are very in love with y/n.” Eddie winced, “yeah I said in love because that’s what you are, you are a complete clown man. Just be good to her okay? She was fighting hard to not let her feelings go over the board but I guess you did some things right but others wrong so… fix it and treat her right, she deserves it.”

Eddie flipped the cigarette bud to the parking lot, he cleared his throat hiding his hands in his jeans. He knew very well how stupid he’s been but coming from Steve was like a jab to the ribs. Not because it was Steve saying it but because he knew Steve would always tell him the truth no matter how hard it could be to hear, he was always going to act the right way, which made Eddie a little jealous, he would love to be a little bit more like him. Taking in mind Dustin worshiped Steve, and even when Eddie was also aware that Dustin liked him too, Steve had the highest spot in the kid’s hero list, so yeah, it was hard to hear but he was grateful that after all they had gone through at least he could still count on Steve.

“Shit man…” Eddie felt his throat tightening, “you know it’s twice as hard for me to get a chick to like me than what it is to you. So yeah I did many things the bad way but I like her more than I’ve ever liked or wanted anything in my life… my sweet baby guitar? You can have it as long as I can get to see Y/n again, you know what I mean? This, what I feel inside here,” Eddie’s palm landed on his chest, too harshly it almost made him grunt, “I’ve never felt it, and I won’t let anything get in the way, even if she doesn’t want me back, who the fuck cares, I’d be her friend for the eternity, I just want her to be happy. Even if that means to stay away… I’ll do anything.”

Steve gave him a lopsided grin, but his eyes were a little sad, “You're really a great dude. And it’s been rough for me too, Munson, so don’t try and make a competition out of it because I’ve been doing bad with the ladies.” Steve looked at the floor, trying to kick a small rock on the pavement as he paced around, “it’s as if I’ve lost my charm but dude I’m so popular with the kids now… what a plot twist,”

Eddie squatted down, a smirk on his face, it was weird to see Steve so vulnerable and disappointed in himself, he was King Steve after all, he shouldn’t be sulking, not over girls.

“I think it’s the hair Harrington, ladies dig the long locks. I’m telling ya man, this is the new hot. ”

Steve snorted, “please shut up now before we get into a real argument as to why you are wrong… just for the record ladies love this mop of hair, all right?” The boy pointed to his fluffy hair, he was half joking half offended.

“Whatever you say man.” Eddie chuckled, and Steve shook his head in disbelief. “but thanks for the pep talk, it’s always reassuring to see that King Steve also has insecurities.”

“Ow zip it Munson. I was just trying to help, Once we are there you are on your own man.”

“Fine by me, thought you said: you will always have us. Some empty words there, huh.”

Eddie laughed lightly watching Steve smile, “I didn’t say always but those words came in all honesty, now if you excuse me I’m going to see if the ladies are ready to go, we’re already late.”

Eddie played with a leaf on the floor thinking that this was it, last few hours to go to finally see you. A grin tugged at the end of his lips as the chain on his jeans clinked when he moved.

Things were going to be fine, or he tried to convince himself of it, his hands getting shakier by the minute.

Next chapter

#eddie munson #eddie x reader #eddie munson x y/n #eddie munson fluff #EDDIE LIVES #edidie's pov #steve harrington #protective steve harrington #robin buckley #protective robin #stranger things #chrissy stranger things #vickie stranger things #Max Mayfield #dustin henderson #Lucas Sinclair #80s music #corroded coffin #idiots in love #fluff #jitterbug love

[joie6000]

Thanksgiving week was a doozy. My dad got a call that his only sister’s grandson tested positive for Covid. A vaccinated person getting Covid is no big deal but a 25 year-old suffering with Duchennes Muscular Dystrophy getting Covid is the absolute worst deal.

My parents, specifically my dad has helped his niece, Cami, with her son, Zachary, for about 20 years. It all started when we were visiting them in Atlanta. We went to one of Zach’s soccer games and I told my mom that he didn’t run correctly. The gait was awkward and very unnatural. He fell too much. My mom suggested something to Cami about it - more like a “maybe he needs different shoes” or just needs to do some PT to strengthen his muscles. With my dad as a doctor and mom a nurse, most people trust the opinions so she took him in.

After months and months of meeting with specialists he was finally given his tragic diagnosis of DMD. Typically anyone with this disease, mostly boys, will not see their 26th birthday. From then on, my parents sprung into action. They pulled some strings and Zach into one of the best DMD hospitals in the country. They helped him get home aids and better wheelchairs. My dad made sure to visit Zach in Florida as much as possible and Zach truly loved my dad for it.

My dad always said that the Duchennes wouldn’t kill Zach but ultimately he would probably die from a respiratory illness like pneumonia. So once Covid hit, they stayed home and did nothing. Zach couldn’t do much anyways because he was in his 20s and pretty much bed-ridden but they masked and stayed home.

No one knows how exactly he got Covid but they think it was him home health nurse as she was the only one with a life outside of the walls of their home. He got it on a Thursday and was in the hospital by Saturday as the Covid turned into pneumonia. My dad was on a plane down to Florida by Sunday. By late Sunday night Zach had died.

Zach had a shit life and that’s the only way I can explain it. His father left Cami when Zach was little to then start a new family with another woman and forget about Zach for months and years on end. He would randomly call maybe every 3 years to wish him a happy birthday, sometimes not even on his birthday.

He had to go to a modified school schedule at a young age because DMD is exhausting. He had no friends. Zero. He was a Make-A-Wish kid which was a wonderful experience but temporary. Any enjoyable was temporary. In the hospital he signed his own DNR. Can you imagine as a 25 year-old signing that?

My dad stayed in Florida to help his sister and niece clean out Zach’s room and arrange the cremation. My cousin, for the first time in many years, didn’t have to be up multiple times a night to help toilet/clean/care for her for aching son. I can’t imagine. I don’t want to imagine.

My dad flew home and needed to quarantine because he had been on the Covid floor at the hospital hence we decided to move Thanksgiving to later in the weekend. We all met my dad at the airport and he was sad and exhausted. My mom asked for Abby to stay at their house because no one makes my dad laugh like Abby.

I chose this picture of Zach because this is how I want to remember him. The boy who was not happy I was marrying Patrick because at 8 years-old he wanted to marry me. The boy who would send me a Facebook message with “happy birthday” or whatever letters he could type.

I read a quote this week that said, “if you get to tuck your healthy child into a warm bed you have already won the lottery of life.” It’s just unbelievably true.